no light on
the lightship for 5 hours because of a mistake of the crew

December
19th, 1984

visit by
the Archbishop of York

December
11th, 1985

decommissioned
SPURN station

1987

sold to Mr.
Roger Smith and restoration for 1.500.000 GBP

May 1988

the ship
became the club home of the Beaucette Yacht Club in Guernsey,
Canal Islands and tourist attraction, renamed to "Beaucette Lightship"

September
12th, 1988

tourist attraction in Conwy, North Wales

October
12th, 1990

purchased for the Milford Haven Port Authority

October
20th, 1990

tourist attraction in Milford Haven Marina

March
14th, 1991

renamed to "Haven lightship"

July
1997

sold to Irish tourism investors

December
2001

laid up in Bear Iceland, Bantry Bay, of Co. Cork in Ireland and
later in Waterford and offered for sale

June 1st,
2007

Good news - from today the lightship has new owners, who are planning
to live on it and to start an alternative healing center on it
(such as Reiki, Crystal Healing, Sound Healing, Aromatherapy,
etc.). For more details please see: http://www.lightshiptherapies.net

August
2007

The Sharpness
Shipyard & Docks was selected to do the work on the lightship.
But first the lightship has to be towed from Ireland to the UK
and this means - paperwork! The problem with lightships is, that
they are not a ship as such and so they are not registered and
classified - but they need to to be towed. Stressful times!

November
14th-16th, 2007

The lightship
was picked-up by the tug Sea Trojan in Waterford (Ireland) and
towed to the Sharpness Shipyard in Gloucester (UK).

January
6th, 2008

Here in Sharpness
the lightship will stay for the next 5-6 month for restoration
and conservation work. Any volunteers? :-)

October
2nd, 2010

After 3 years
of restoration and fitting out at Sharpness the lightship (now
called Sula) was towed up the 16 miles from Sharpness to its new
home in Gloucester today. With the help of a pair of tug boats
the journey on the relatively narrow canal took 10 hours!

December
2nd, 2010

Grand Opening
event. The shipyard has done a superb job turning the ship into
a modern therapy centre whilst retaining the character of the
era the lightship was build.

2013

Today the lightship is proudly owned by Jan and Agnes van der
Elsen, a couple originally from Eindhoven in Holland. They have
renamed the lightship SULA, meaning peace, and they offer high
quality complementary health care and training, trading under
the name Lightship Therapies. Both are qualified practitioners
who can help you find the best treatment to achieve a balanced
life. A long-list of healing treatments and complementary therapies
are available including Reiki, Aromatherapy, Reflexology, Life-coaching,
Sound Therapy and Yoga. The ship is open to the public.

The historic
SULA Lightship is for sale through 'Euro
Ship Brokers' and can be contacted by calling John on 0044
(0) 1436 645 045

PRESS RELEASE: The Sula lightship, home of the well-known holistic
centre 'Lightship Therapies' and the only Buddhist Centre in Gloucester,
is up for sale. The officially registered historic lightship,
a tourist attraction in the Quays area, has been a real icon for
the city and has featured in many travel guides.She is moored
for almost 4 years now, making a difference for the City. The
current owners, Jan and Agnes van der Elsen, also known by their
Buddhist name Yozen and Kakua, offer the ship for sale to move
on to the next exciting phase in their life. They were both ordained
in March of this year in one of the biggest Shingon Buddhist temple
in Japan.With a plan to open the first traditional Shingon temple
in the UK, they were offered an intern-ship in Japan to enable
their dream to come true. "Although there is no hurry, we need
to part with the lightship to pave the path for a totally unique
adventure, both for ourselves and the County" said Jan. The plan
is to build a Japanese temple in Gloucestershire when they return,
providing a totally unique form of Buddhism to the UK, resonating
well with our Western way of life. The SULA lightship has been
completely refitted and restored 4 years ago, bringing it up to
modern standards. Her luxurious treatment rooms, very large room
for groups and authentic but modernised living accommodation,
provides a perfect canvas for any new business or education centre
to flourish.The deck space, overlooking the Gloucester to Sharpness
Canalis popular for teas and coffees during the spring, summer
and autumn time. The lightship has a permanent mooring, planning
permission and permits, and is connected to electrical power,
water and telecoms supplies. Ideal for any entrepreneur who wants
to start a business straight away. "Although we would love the
ship to stay in our beloved Gloucester, it could be sold to any
buyer around the globe" explained Agnes. Within hours of listing
the ship for sale, interest was already noted by potential buyers
in Amsterdam and Cyprus. "In an ideal world, the SULA would stay
in Gloucester, housing a similar holistic centre" said Jan. "There
clearly is a need for some peace in the city, with meditation
classes being high on the agenda for all people and businesses
in the area. "Lightship Therapies and the Gloucester Buddhist
Centre will remain open until the ship has been sold. The historic
SULA Lightship is for sale through 'Euro Ship Brokers' and can
be contacted by calling John on 01436 645 045

*_ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION_* The lightship was build in 1958 in Beverley near
Hull for the Humber Conservancy Board. 35m long, 8.5m wide, 3m
draft. She was located at the shipping-lane entrance to the river
Humber and was in service until 1985. Became a museum ship at
several locations around the UK and Ireland. She was also used
as a club-house of a yacht-club in Guernsey. Converted and restored
over 3 years and brought to Gloucester late 2010. She is a registered
historic vessel and recognised as one of the best restored and
preserved lightships in the UK. SULA is unique since:
* One of the very rare lightships with a Fresnel lens system in
the light-tower. (very common for light-houses, not for light-ships)
* The foghorn design is only used on 2 ships worldwide
* The life-boat: one of the first fibre-glass life-boats ever
built SULA is currently housing a Centre for Complimentary Healthcare
and offers various treatments. It also houses the Gloucester Buddhist
Centre and offers accommodation for the owners. Partially open
as tourist attraction and serving coffee & teas on deck. For additional
information, call Jan on 01452-527566 (closed on Mon-Tue)